


East of the Tartar Wall

by huangjinguo



Series: City Drifters & Misfits [2]
Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - 1930s, Alternate Universe - Historical, Brothels, M/M, Sex Work, modern chinese history
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-02-09
Updated: 2018-02-09
Packaged: 2019-03-15 20:31:51
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,033
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13621149
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/huangjinguo/pseuds/huangjinguo
Summary: After serving countless men and pretending to love them, Yifan decides that Yixing should never love someone else besides him.





	East of the Tartar Wall

**Author's Note:**

  * For [castorous](https://archiveofourown.org/users/castorous/gifts).



> YO HI I'm back!
> 
> Y'all wanted to know how this continues, and I'm willing to deliver. There's gonna be a second part on this, because Thomas will have the comeback of the year, but I'm still not finished with that part. But yeah, y'know, it's over 18K already so I thought splitting that thing up so it's better for all of you to read. It could also, once again, end here, so let me know what you think!
> 
> A big thanks to Cher who keeps bearing my rants about this thing and gave me great input for the coming second part, yay!
> 
> Short disclaimer: The murder I’m talking about in this chapter really happened. Detective Han and Dennis existed, and were the officers set on the case. Everything else, like other foreigners (HI RICHARD AND THOMAS) are my OCs. The whole ordeal about Pamela Werner’s murder went down a little differently, but I just loosely worked the case in bc I read a book about it and thought the thing was kinda cool. Also, actually, the book (Midnight in Peking by Paul French btw, if you wanna give this a read) sparked the whole idea for this AU.
> 
> I’d suggest you read “The Badlands” before this bc it requires a bit of background knowledge.
> 
> Again. Not beta'd. Barely proofread. *shoulder shrug*

***

Even though Yifan has gone feral on the foreigner, thus interrupting the festivities, the mood quickly went back to normal while he was gone. Of course, people started talking, but most of them speak in Yifan's favour - Thomas just hasn't obeyed to the rules, has been asked nicely to leave, and after all, he used a racial slur, which would've gotten any other Chinese man mad too. The Russians don't care much as long as the alcohol keeps flowing, while the few Brits popping in are a little peeved since it's their compatriot that's gotten a beating. Still, they don't seem to be madly offended - their critique is probably coming from a place of loyalty to one of theirs, not because they’re really upset about it.

Yifan doesn't care too much. He keeps in the background for the rest of the night, while that one Russian girl keeps serving drinks over the counter with Jiejie. Getting the last customers out when the doors to the brothel close is wrapping up quicker than usual, since nobody dares to step on Yifan's toes. The owner hopes that this little side effect might be here to stay, it would make his work a lot easier. 

At around four, he's cleaned up the bar for the next day and walks back to the bedrooms to pick up Yixing. He finds him asleep when he enters.

Yifan closes the door silently and walks over to the bed, and doesn't quite know what to do then. He stops for a second to marvel at Yixing's peaceful face. His lips are slightly parted, and his eyelashes throw shadows on his cheekbones. Yifan's grown up in an orphanage run by catholic missionaries - one of the few there were around that time in Guangzhou. From a young age, he's been growing up with Catholicism and the whole ordeal about God and angels. He's never found a real connection to the religion, and was glad when he was finally able to turn his back on the nuns that made his life as unpleasant as it could get, but right in this moment, when he sees Yixing like that, he thinks that if angels were real, Yixing would be one of them. That's just how beautiful he is.

He needs to refocus on getting Yixing out of here though for now. Thomas might be standing on the doorway right the next day, even if his nose has been beaten to mush and he will most likely need medical treatment.

He kneels down and starts caressing Yixing's cheeks, softly, to not scare him out of his sleep, and Yixing jerks a little when he notices the touch. He starts blinking, and smiles when he recognises Yifan.

"You've came back," he mumbles and wraps his hand around Yifan's wrist.

"I said I'd take you home, haven't I?" Yifan says softly.

Yixing sits up, still fighting against the sleep clinging to his body and shivers when his blanket slips off his shoulders.

"I'll get your coat, alright?"

Yifan doesn't wait for an answer and opens the closet to pull out Yixing's coat that he quickly throws over his shoulders. He gives him a little more time to fully wake up, then he offers him his hand to finally get him out of this hellhole.

Yixing keeps holding on to his hand the whole walk back to Yifan's house. It's still dark outside, and the streets in The Badlands are empty except for the few drunks that try to stumble their way home from the cabarets and brothels. They don't even notice the two men.

Yifan doesn't live in The Badlands. His house is located just outside its borders, cornered between The Legation Quarter and the other district. He's living next to a British guy, a well known sinologist called Edward Werner. It's a better neighbourhood than The Badlands are, but still a little shabby compared to what the other foreigners are used to. Yifan bought the house last year when his brothel finally started to throw off enough money for him to enjoy a more comfortable life. He's even able to employ an older man called Ling Chao who takes care of the household and Yifan’s meals, because he can't be bothered with those chores while he's either out in the whorehouse or going through the books in his study. 

When they arrive, Ling Chao is already awake to prepare the usual bowl of millet that Yifan likes to have before he goes to bed.

"Mr. Wu, welcome... home?” He greets and frowns when he sees Yixing hiding behind Yifan's back.

"Hello Ling Chao," Yifan says, "We've got visit tonight."

"Oh!" The servant nods and adds, "Shall I prepare another bowl then for...?"

"Zhang Yixing," Yifan helps out and turns around to face the other. "You hungry?"

"I... umm... I don't know."

Ling Chao nods once again, and says he'll be fixing another bowl for the newcomer, before he disappears into the kitchen. Yifan takes off Yixing's coat.

"You've got a servant?"

"I don't regard him as a servant,” Yifan says and guides Yixing into the dining room, "Well, I do pay him for his services, but he's actually more like a friend."

"I see."

Yixing sits down at the table and looks around the interior. Yifan doesn't really care about giving the whole house a personal touch. There are hardly any photos on the wall that might show Yifan's family or friends. There are no items that might remind Yifan of his life in Guangzhou.

"I kind of had the feeling that we'd need more millet this morning," Ling Chao chatters as he carries two bowls into the room and serves them.

Yifan snorts.

"Your gut feeling is always right, huh?"

"Always," Ling Chao says and winks. "Enjoy your meal. I'm off to the market to get more groceries. The sooner I arrive, the better. Maybe throw in some more briquets into the oven before you head to bed, Mr. Wu? I've been keeping watch of the fire the whole night, it would be a damn shame if it went out now. It's cold today."

"Thank you, Ling Chao, I will."

Yifan shows him a thankful smile. Yixing keeps close watch of him and when Ling Chao has left the scene, Yixing asks:

"Yifan, how old are you, actually?"

"Huh? Why that question all of a sudden?"

Yixing shrugs and watches as Yifan sits down to have his food.

"I don't know. I just felt like asking. You appear so... mature."

"Mature?" 

Yifan snorts into his millet, because nobody's ever called him like that.

"Yes. I always imagine you to be much older than me. The way you run your business... the way you care for me..."

"Taking care of you has nothing to do with my age. I don't even know how old I actually am, I was an orphan and I don't hold a birth certificate. I was dumped at the stairs of that orphanage in Guangzhou by my birthmother and people just assumed that I was born around November in 1911. They eventually decided that I was born on November 6th, the day I was given to them."

"Hm."

"What about you then? You had a family, they surely wrote down when you were born."

"Early October 1912," Yixing says with a shrug. “That’s all I know.”

Yixing doesn't touch his bowl, while Yifan inhales the millet like his life depends on it.

"So, I guess you imagined wrong, huh?" Yifan says with a wink.

"I guess,” Yixing says and supports his head with his hands while he watches Yifan. "Still, I always had the feeling that you've seen things and stuff, you know? You came all the way to Peking from Guangzhou, only to start business."

"Ugh," Yifan grunts, "That journey isn't worth a mention. I just slowly made my way up north, picking up work here and there.”

Yifan yawns when he's finished his bowl, and stands up.

"Come on, Yixing. I'm tired. You've got the choice - I have a vacant room, but since Ling Chao hasn't prepared it, it might be rather cold and uncomfortable. Or you just... umm... I mean, I would also let you sleep in my room."

He gets flustered, and rubs his neck nervously, because he's not sure if suggesting them sleeping in one bed might be inappropriate. Given the fact they've been ready to rip each others clothes off just a few hours before...

"I want to be with you," Yixing says with a soft look on his face.

Yifan melts at the sight and gives in at once. He does as Ling Chao has told him and throws a few briquets into the oven to keep the fire alive that’s been warming up the living room and the kitchen, then he leads Yixing into his bedroom. It takes them another thirty minutes of Yifan changing into his nightwear and offering Yixing another set to sleep in, before they lay down. Yifan is beat, just like every time he comes home from a night of work, but his mind is still spinning around Yixing who presses his body against his own, as if he's looking for shelter in his arms. Eventually, he falls asleep with his face buried in Yixing's hair and his arms wrapped tightly around the other's body.

When Yifan wakes up, it's noon already. A few rays of sunlight that make their way into the room tell Yifan that the weather must be great, even if it's still horribly cold outside. Yixing is gone, and the absence of his warmth is probably what made Yifan wake from his slumber, so he gets up to check on him. 

He finds him in the backyard with Ling Chao, hanging up some laundry to dry in the winter sun. For a second, Yifan wants to call out to him that he should not be doing these kinds of things, since he's not here to do housework, but then Yixing notices him and leaps right over.

"Sorry, I didn't want to wake you up, but I was awake since maybe eight," he says and throws his arms around him. "I didn't know what to do so I helped Ling Chao a little."

"You don't need to do that," Yifan says, "I didn't bring you here to do my dirty laundry."

In that moment, someone keeps knocking at the front door. Ling Chao throws the last dress shirt over the line, and hollers:

"I'll get it, Mr. Wu!"

When he's gone, Yixing looks back to Yifan.

"Then, what am I here for, exactly?"

That is a very good question that Yifan himself doesn't even know the answer to. He just has the feeling that he wants to keep Yixing close to him, but far away from the brothel, and especially from people like Thomas. Bringing him here seems to be the only solution. He stammers a few words that don't make sense, but before it can get any more awkward, he gets interrupted by the visitor who's been banging against the door.

"Where is Yifan?!"

"Oh god..." Yifan sighs when he recognises Lu Han's voice. 

"Boss, Yixing is gone!" Lu Han hollers through the house and emerges from the living room door that leads to the backyard, "I wanted to check on him when I woke up and he's vanished! We need to go to the police, I think that Thomas guy... wait, what?!"

He stops his rant when he notices both of them - luckily, they've released their embrace to avoid further embarrassment. 

"I'm here, Lu Han," Yixing says.

"What... is... huh?!"

Lu Han nears them with an unbelieving look on his face. Then, his confused expression makes way for a bewildered one and he yells:

"My god, Zhang Yixing, I thought that Thomas guy kidnapped you! How dare you just leave and not tell me, I was worried sick for you!"

"Sorry, Lu Han."

"It was my idea, not his," Yifan comes to Yixing's defence. "I took him here after I closed up. If anything, be mad at me."

"But. Why? The whole brothel thinks he's getting raped by a British mad man in this very moment, when he's here doing... what exactly are you doing here?!"

"It's basically just a precaution. I'm worried Thomas might come back, just like you probably do, too. So I decided to take Yixing in until things have settled down. I thought it would be the safest option."

Lu Han looks back and forth between them, then he sighs.

"Seriously, you two scared the shit out of me. I was so close to go to the police and report him missing!"

"Sorry to scare you. I should've told someone."

Yifan's excuse is half assed, but Lu Han accepts it. He rubs his neck, then he says:

"Boss, we're in deep trouble. I've heard that Thomas has been brought to the hospital, and he's madly pissed at you. He'll surely come back for revenge."

"I told him that if he comes back, I'll kill him."

Yixing eyes Yifan worried, but instead of scolding him, he wraps his arms around his body, slowly starting to shiver in the cold January air. 

"I don't think he'll come back personally. But I think he'll go to the police to take the brothel down. Pretty sure that's how he'd do it."

"Do you really think he'll manage to take my business down?" Yifan snorts and all that Lu Han's doing as a response is raising his eyebrows in a skeptical manner.

"He's a foreigner, don't forget that. It wasn't the best idea to beat his face to mush, he's still protected by British law."

"We'll see about that," Yifan says.

"Please, don't take that lightly, okay?" Lu Han says, "The brothel is everything I have. I can't be out on the streets again. Neither can any of the others. You need to protect us, Yifan."

"I will, of course I will... but first..." Yifan says and looks down on himself, realising he's still in his nightwear, "I need to change."

"Come on Lu Han, do you want some tea?" Yixing jumps right in and grabs his arm to lead the way.

When Yifan comes into the living room in casual wear, he finds Yixing and Lu Han talking about what happened to Thomas, and especially, how it could've come to this.

"Maybe I should have told him to back off way earlier... when I noticed that he was developing feelings," Yixing says with a defeated tone in his voice.

"No," Yifan interrupts, thus making both look up to him, "It's not your fault he's a psychopath. He brought this onto himself."

"He'll surely play the victim though," Lu Han sighs and throws himself back into the sofa, "I mean, how does police work proceed in The Badlands when a foreigner is involved? Isn't it supposed to be two detectives? A Chinese one and a Brit in this case? I don't know about these things."

"Neither do I," Yifan admits and sits down next to Yixing who automatically serves him some tea.

The gesture gets noticed by Lu Han, but he keeps his mouth shut. 

"No matter what's going to happen, it will have an impact on business. If police comes knocking at our door, we're fucked. Nobody wants to visit a brothel where the police frequents."

"Maybe it's not going to be this bad," Yixing throws in. "Maybe Thomas will leave us alone."

Lu Han lets out a howling fake laughter.

"Are you listening to yourself, Yixing? Do you mean, he'll leave us alone just like he left you alone after he strangled you? That didn't work out well, didn't it?"

Yixing swallows heavily and tears of panic fill up his eyes when he gets reminded of that night.

"Hey, Lu Han! That was uncalled for!" Yifan barks at him, feeling the utter need to protect Yixing once again.

"Sorry, but it's distressing. He's dangerous, for everyone involved!"

"I'll think of a way, okay? Just... just wait and see what happens. There's no need to panic until there's is a reason for it. Right now, we're good."

Lu Han doesn't seem to be too convinced, but realises it's no use to keep talking about the matter. The three fall silent, then Lu Han makes a decision:

"I'll talk to Richard."

"Huh?"

"He's friends with Thomas. So I'll surely get some info about what he's planning to do." The man sits up straight, as if fierce determination is taking hold of his body. “Plus, he's tied to the police. He's an influential man. Maybe I can pull some strings."

"Do you really think he'll listen to you?" Yixing asks.

"Oh, I'll just pay him a surprise visit and give him a blowjob for free, he'll probably do anything I'd ask him to under those circumstances."

"Lu Han, you don't need to sell your body like that for this," Yifan says and doesn't feel too well thinking about Lu Han giving house visits.

It's something different when he gets fucked by men under Yifan's roof. There, he's under his protection. If necessary, Yifan can jump in for help against a vile client, but out of his reach, there's nothing he can do for him shall a visit go south. Plus, getting fucked is Lu Han's job, not his hobby, and he should not give his body away for free. Where would be the logic behind that?

"I know I don't, and I know you worry," Lu Han says and gets up on his feet, "But trust me, it'll be fine. I'll be back by the time the brothel opens its doors."

With that, he disappears to the front door. Yifan grunts and gets up too.

"What are you doing?" Yixing asks and grabs his wrist.

"I'm going to stop him. I won't allow it."

"Yifan, no, please, let him go. He knows what he's doing!"

Yixing gets up too and throws his arms around Yifan's upper arm.

"I know you worry, but maybe that'll help your situation a lot. Let him. He's not going to listen to your reasoning anyway."

Yifan grunts in response and looks down to Yixing. He's probably right. Lu Han is too stubborn to listen to him, and would probably only refrain from his plan if Yifan threatened to kick him out, which will most likely never happen. He's too important for business for that.

"Just stay with me until you need to go, please? I need you with me right now."

The whole situation is probably too much for Yixing, and Yifan feels really bad about it. In fact, he doesn't think he's ever felt worse in his life before. He wriggles his arm free from Yixing's hold, only to pull him into a full embrace.

"Whatever you want. Whatever makes you feel better."

"Thank you."

When he looks up and their eyes meet, Yifan gets lost in them once again. He must look like an absolute fool as he's gaping at Yixing's face, but Yixing either doesn't notice, or he doesn't care too much. 

"I don't know if I feel this way because you've been treating me so well... or if that is rooted in something else," Yixing whispers and Yifan needs to shake his head to get his thoughts in proper order.

"What... what kind of feeling?"

"It's just... I want you to be near me all the time. Always. It's when I feel safe and sound. And only then."

The words knock Yifan out cold. His hands wrap tighter around Yixing's body and their foreheads touch. Yixing is warm and soft, and Yifan feels like no matter how long he'll hold him, his need for that feeling can never be satiated.

"You know, I could take all those customers because I just kind of disconnected my mind from my body when I had them in my room. It was like I wasn't even noticing what happened. And in my mind, I was... I don't know. I thought of you. Knowing you'll keep me safe. It made things bearable."

Hearing that, Yifan feels that he's growing weak once more. It has always been like this. From the moment Yixing stepped one foot into his brothel behind Jiejie. It was like Yifan's been sold to him from the very start, craving for him every day, without even noticing it much. He's played it down by arguing that Yixing's like every other hooker in his brothel and he just wanted to be a good boss, whilst he didn't realise that he's kept a very attentive eye on him. 

Yifan leans into him, and seals their lips. It's not like last night when Yixing basically run him over and crashed his lips on his. If anything, it's the total opposite. Their lips melt together, and Yifan just pecks at Yixing's lips for quite some time, as if getting to know them before he sweeps his tongue over the other's bottom lip. Yixing's body trembles at the touch and opens his mouth to let Yifan in. As their tongues tease each other, and Yixing occasionally grazes his teeth over the sensitive skin of Yifan’s bottom lip, the older one gently pushes him back down onto the sofa, where he presses him into the pillows with his body weight. Yixing spreads his legs and throws them around Yifan's hips to keep him close, while his lips put a little more demanding pressure on him - still not as fierce and needy as last night.

"Don't...," Yifan starts to mumble against Yixing's lips, causing the younger to break the contact.

His eyes widen in worry, and it's almost the exact same confused look he's thrown him last time when he had turned him down. Yifan hurries to finish his sentence:

"Don't ever go back to loving someone else."

"I never loved someone else," Yixing responds and takes Yifan's face into his hands.

His thumbs circle over Yifan's skin and leave a tingling sensation that shoots through his whole body.

"Then... don't even pretend to. Don't make anyone else feel like they're the one. I could never stand it. I hated seeing it over the bar counter. The way they walked in and claimed you, it was _hell_ …”

Yixing's answer is another long and breathless kiss that makes Yifan's head dizzy. 

"I won't. Promise."

The statement floods Yifan's body with an odd combination of happiness and desire, which he channels through a few kisses along Yixing's jawline and neck. Yixing mewls when Yifan sucks at the sensitive skin and snaps his head back immediately to give him more space. 

_Claim him and make him yours._ It's a rather primal need he feels, but for heaven's sake, he needs to. Yixing shall be his. He wants to provide and care for him. He wants to make him feel loved, because that's the only thing this man deserves. No matter how low people might think of him because of what he does for a living or where he comes from. Yixing's hands start searching for the hem of Yifan's shirt to tug at it - and then, there's another knock at the front door.

"I swear... to... god..." Yifan grunts.

Yixing pouts, but lets go off him and they sit back up, while they hear Ling Chao opening the door for the intruder. Muffled voices carry over, two belonging to a bunch of strange men, but their words are inaudible to Yifan. 

"Mr. Wu, the police!" Ling Chao cries out, then they hear him asking the officers to come in.

Yixing's face loses all its colour at once and he grabs Yifan's wrist.

"Don't worry, Yixing, I got this. Relax," Yifan says and tries to calm him down that way, but Yixing's face freezes in sheer horror when a foreign man and a Chinese one enter the room.

"Mr. Wu?" The Chinese officer says.

"Yes, hello?"

"I'm sorry to disturb you, I'm Officer Han. And that's my colleague Dennis," the man introduces himself and the man next to him. 

Dennis lifts his hat as a greeting, but that's all he does. Yifan nods back to acknowledge him, then his attention snaps back to Han.

"How can I help you?"

"Well, I'm sure you heard of the tragedy that's happened," Han starts.

Yifan's gut feeling tells him that this is not how an officer would start an investigation in the case of a beat up Brit, so he tilts his head in question.

"What tragedy? I work in The Badlands, tragedies happen every hour there. The people roaming there are tragedies on their own.”

"That's true," Han concedes Yifan's statement, "But this one should overshadow all the others. You really have no idea?"

"Listen, officer, I work at night and sleep during the day, I usually pick up on gossip one day after everything went down. So help me out here."

"How well do you know your neighbour, Mr. Wu?" Han asks instead.

"The British man?"

"Yes, Edward Werner."

Yifan exhales a long breath, and figures that if they were here for Thomas, they wouldn't mention Werner, so he relaxes. 

"Not much. He's an old guy. Kind of odd. Speaks good Mandarin. Has been around for ages. And he has a daughter, I think? But she studies in Tientsin."

"Yes, Pamela Werner. She's been found dead at the Fox Tower this morning."

"She... uh... what?"

"She was murdered. And we just thought that... we ask around in the neighbourhood to see if anyone has seen or heard something suspicious. You live right next door to him, so we decided to drop by."

"Huh..."

Yifan is a little shocked by the news, but he doesn't know Pamela well enough to be feeling grief. He's only picked up the usual gossip about her - that she's young and reckless, likes to date young men, and has been sent off to boarding school to Tientsin so she might settle down a little. He's seen her frequent The Badlands every now and then, on occasions, but mostly she was just passing through with her bike because it was shorter to cut through the district than to cycle along the Tartar Wall. Since she's been shipped off to Tientsin, he's only seen her during winter and summer holidays. And even then... he never saw her for more than a few seconds. He can't even recall her face properly. She’s got blonde hair, that’s all he knows.

"Well... I came back at around five in the morning. I didn't notice anything out of the ordinary," Yifan finally states. 

Han nods.

"I see."

"What if the Fox Spirits got her though?" Yixing slips and looks like he regrets his words right afterwards.

Locals tend to believe that the tower at the Tartar Wall is inhabited by Fox Spirits, which, occasionally, also could become vile and brutal. Having sold chestnuts at said tower for years, Yixing surely knows all the stories that surround the building. He looks uncomfortable and Yifan puts his hand on his shoulder to squeeze it.

"Well, if Fox Spirits suddenly know how to dissect a person in skilled movements... might be the case..." the foreigner slips sarcastically and Yifan and Yixing wrinkle their noses in disgust.

"Thank you for your time, gentlemen," Han cuts his colleague off, "Sorry for the inconvenience."

"Please, anytime," Yifan says and gets up, deeming the conversation to be over.

There's a moment in which nothing happens and Yifan notices Dennis who keeps looking at Yixing as if he's trying to put a name to his face. When Han tells him that they should leave, Dennis can't but to ask:

"Why are you having one of your employees over?"

Yifan freezes. He's pretty sure this guy has never been around his brothel. How in the world does he know Yixing?

"Why would that be any of your business?" Yifan shoots back.

"Are you keeping him here?"

Yifan isn't sure if he can answer that question without getting himself in trouble. He might be one of Thomas' friends, who might have already gotten presented with a weird narrative in which the Brit only wanted to save the love of his life from the brutal claws of the bad brothel owner who got mad and beat him half dead.

"I came over to visit," Yixing throws in and gets up, "To talk some things out about our working conditions and stuff. We're doing that frequently. Just to make sure everything's alright and we’re all on the same page."

Dennis eyes Yixing carefully and it looks as if he's not buying the story, but since he hasn't come here to be investigating the issue Yifan has with Thomas, he can't do anything else but to show a practiced smile and saying:

"Well then. I hope you have nice talks. Good day, gentlemen."

Ling Chao, who has been standing at the sidelines the whole time, leads the officers to the front door. When they're gone, Yixing gasps for air and says:

"God, I hope Lu Han gives that Richard guy the blowjob of his life."

"Don't worry too much," Yifan says, "That dead girl might work in our favour."

"What do you mean?! Have you seen how that Brit looked at us?!" Yixing squeals.

"I did, but a beat up foreigner isn't the police's priority now. The gruesome death of a young girl who happens to be the daughter of a very well respected man is much more of a pressing issue. Don't worry. It will be fine."

Yixing looks at Yifan with a worried expression on his face. Then he stands on his tip toes to give Yifan another kiss.

"I hope you're right. I really do."

***

When the sun starts to set, Yifan needs to go back to the brothel, even though he'd rather stay at home and be with Yixing.

"It's okay, I'll be here," Yixing says when Yifan puts on his coat, but just can't get himself to put on his shoes.

"I hope you do."

"What else am I supposed to do, huh?" Yixing shoots back and rolls his eyes.

Yifan grins and kisses the other’s lips once more. He's done that a lot of times today. And, to be honest, kissing Yixing could easily become one of his habits. When they part, Yixing lets him go with another comment:

"Come back safely, yes?"

"Always."

When he makes his way through the cold commencing night, Yifan notices that the city's mood has suffered under the news of Pamela Werner's murder. The streets look emptier than usual, as if people are scared to be running into the one who's responsible for her death, no matter if they believe it to be an actual human or a Fox Spirit.

Yifan grunts. Well, her death might be working in his favour of the police not really having time for Thomas, but for business, it might be bad. When he comes back to his brothel, Lu Han is already waiting for him at the bar.

"Boss!" He greets.

"Have you been successful?" Yifan asks as he prepares the bar for his customers.

"Kind of. I found Richard and talked to him."

"You mean - you let him fuck you and then sweet talked him into doing you a favour?"

Lu Han rolls his eyes in response.

"Look, sex is what I do best, okay? And when I showed up at his doorway, his wife just left with their kids for some afternoon tea at a friend's house. He gladly fucked me in his bedroom. And I must say - that was the most comfortable mattress I ever laid on."

"Oh sweet Jesus, get to the fucking point."

"Well, basically, because Thomas is his friend, he's really pissed at you. He thinks your action wasn't justified in the slightest. When I told him that I might lose my job though and I'll be out on the streets if things go this bad, he said that he'd be thinking about it. He's whipped for my ass."

Lu Han sounds proud of that. Yifan exhales a long breath.

"We need him to do more than just thinking about it. Because we might be in a little trouble."

"Oh fuck."

Yifan tells him about the visit of the two officers and how the foreign guy seemed to know Yixing.

"I don't know, I have a bad feeling about this. He's fishy. What if Thomas told him a weird story in which he's the victim and I'm the bad guy?"

"That would be unfortunate," Lu Han admits. "But I think we're on a good way here, really. I got a little overboard and told him with glassy eyes that this could've been the last time we've seen each other. He took the bait, I think."

Yifan nods and pours Lu Han a glass of whiskey. Maybe it's best to wait now for whatever is about to happen.

"Do you think we'll get customers today?" He asks then.

"Because of that dead girl?" Lu Han takes a few sips of the beverage, then adds, "You know, I think the men will be still coming in. Men are primal apes. When their dicks get lonely, they come running through that door even if all hell breaks loose outside."

As if to undermine his statement, a small group of men enters the bar and sits down at one table. One of the Chinese girls walks over to ask if she can get them some drinks.

"Good," Yifan states, "I can't have this ruin business."

The hours go by in an awful slow manner. People keep asking for Yixing, and Yifan just downright tells them that he's not working today. When they ask if he's going to work tomorrow, Yifan sends them away with the comment to not ask for Yixing again unless he's here with them in the room - he's on a break after what Thomas pulled, and he won't pester him to go back to work until he's ready for it. He deliberately withdraws the info that, if it was for him, Yixing would never come back to this shit hole, because he figures that this might not sit well with most of the guys.

At around midnight, Richard walks through the entrance. He ignores Lu Han who just came back from his bedroom into the bar after his last customer has left, and walks straight up to Yifan.

"Whiskey," he says and watches as Yifan fixes him the drink, the money for it already in his hand.

"That's on me," Yifan says when he wants to hand the bill over.

"God, aren't I blessed today," the Brit scoffs and takes a sip.

Yifan tries to not roll his eyes. Why are foreigners always acting like they're better than the Chinese, even when they're not even in their own country? It's annoying.

"Lu Han's over there in the corner, if you're looking for him."

"I wasn't initially looking for him," Richard admits, "I wanted to talk to you first."

"About Thomas?"

"Yes."

"I thought so."

Richard puts the glass down on the counter and cracks a smile. In the light of the bar, he looks old. He probably is. Way older than Yifan, and way more powerful, with may more connections to both the foreign and Chinese world that work in his favour. Yifan needs him to be on their side.

"You know, you really didn't have to break his nose."

"Did I?" Yifan asks with a raised eyebrow. "He wouldn't leave Yixing alone. And he didn't want to see him. When I asked him nicely to leave, he started to throw a hissy fit and called me a chink. You know, I can handle assholes. But _racist_ assholes?"

"Well, point taken," Richard says. "Still. You almost killed him. I mean, to be fair, he provoked it, but Thomas isn't just a random Brit that somehow wound up here. He's a rather important guy. Nobody would've cared if you beat up one of those Russian losers. But of course, you need to pick the one with relations to the Crown and the embassy."

"Well, it wasn't a Russian loser who strangled my employee and lived in a phantasy world where he can marry him."

"He did what?"

Richard is genuinely surprised when he hears that. 

"Oh, so he didn't tell you that part of the story? Of course he didn't."

Yifan goes on about how Thomas almost choked Yixing to death, just because he got reminded that he is not Yixing's lover and has no right to claim him as his own. When he closes his narrative, Richard doesn't say anything for a while.

"Look, Richard, I know you are mad about what I did to your friend. But, let me ask you: What if someone had treated Lu Han like that?"

Mentioning him makes the foreigner go stiff.

"Wouldn't you have wanted me to protect Lu Han from a psycho like that? What if, one day, you came in here and I had to tell you that a lovesick maniac killed your favourite whore?"

As if he's sensing that they're talking about him, Lu Han walks over to them and sits down next to Richard. The Brit looks up to him, and his eyes fall on the other's neck, as if imagining to see red strangulation marks on his pale skin.

"Love," Lu Han purrs and throws his arms around him. "You still haven't got enough yet? Do you want another round?"

His hand swiftly slips between Richard's thighs and he places a kiss on his cheek which makes Richard's hard face soften up. Yifan's seen that look on the face of a countless men already - it's the moment when they lose their power against Lu Han's charms. They hate themselves for it, more than often. They've got a wife and a few kids, they're respected men of the foreign or Chinese society, yet this young and handsome bastard makes them crumble with just a touch of his hand. They also hate Lu Han for it, but they still keep coming back for more, because nobody in this town is able to make them feel what he gives them. They grow addicted to him. 

"I've got to admit, I've missed you too," the Chinese breathes into Richard's ear and the Brit looks back to Yifan, giving him an answer without words.

He would've probably gone and killed the man who hurt Lu Han himself with a rusty knife. Yifan hopes that this might have brought Richard into backing him instead of Thomas. Men are easily manipulated, especially when it comes to sex, that's what Yifan's learned over the years. And even though Richard is a well respected man along his peers, it’s that primal instinct of fucking Lu Han into a mattress that makes him snap. Yifan needs to play that card.

"Lu Han, what do you think of making Richard a VIP, huh?"

Lu Han, who's kissed Richard's jawline, looks to Yifan and raises an eyebrow.

"A VIP?"

"He's been such a great and supportive customer over the last year, hasn't he?"

The other picks up on Yifan's intention. He tangles his fingers in Richard's hair and coos:

"Oh, he has. He's my _favourite_.”

"What if we reward him for such loyalty?"

"With discounts?" Lu Han asks, placing a kiss on the foreigner's cheek, "Or let him visit me whenever he pleases? How would it be if he could just fuck me in between his lunch break?”

“ _Special treatment_.”

"I'd love to spoil him _rotten_ with my loving."

A whimper escapes Richard's throat. Oh yes, he wants that. He's already swallowing thickly as Lu Han continues to shower him with soft kisses, melting into the touch. It's an amazing sight, how Lu Han manages to make any man he wants become his bitch. 

"Of course," Yifan ponders and refills Richard's glass, "You can only spoil him if the brothel won't run into trouble... it's really... unfortunate..."

The Brit groans, and then Lu Han turns his head towards him to seal their lips into a kiss. When they part again, Lu Han whines:

"You wouldn't want that, wouldn't you love?"

Yifan leans forward in anticipation and hopes his guest finally takes the bait. The brothel owner sees how the conflict rages within the other man, but then Richard gives in.

"Fine! Alright! I will make sure Thomas will leave you alone!"

Yifan extends his hand over the counter.

"I trust you, Richard. You're a true gentleman."

The other one takes the presented hand and they seal their deal with a hand shake. Lu Han smiles widely, and crashes his lips onto Richard's, only to work his tongue into his mouth right afterwards. Yifan feels relieved, and lets the two disappear through the door, allowing Richard to get Lu Han a second time that day. He almost feels bad that Lu Han needs to be pimped out in that way - on the other hand, Lu Han really doesn't seem to mind. If anything, he's even glad to help.

Pamela's murder has an impact on business, as expected - most of the regulars stay away, probably because they are under the even more vigilant supervision of their wives at home, and Yifan closes up earlier than usual. He's not too worried though, yet. That girl has been found in the morning, so it's not even been a day since her discovery. Give it another week, and people will calm down.

When he comes home, Yixing is still awake. He's got his nose buried in a book, even though the light of the lamp is so dim, he probably can't decipher much.

"So you're a bookworm?" Yifan raises his voice and Yixing lets out a scream.

"You!" He gasps and puts his hand on his heart, "I almost died!"

"I'm sorry."

Yifan sits down on the brink of the mattress and takes a look at the title of the book in Yixing’s hands.

"Miss Sophia's Diary? Really?"

"It was the next best book I grabbed," Yixing defends his choice.

"I didn't know you read."

"I don't. I'm a bad reader. I'm actually taking longer trying to make sense of the words than reading and enjoying it."

"Then why would you read it anyway?"

"I couldn't sleep and needed to pass the time somehow."

"Why's that, hm?"

Yifan puts the novel aside and kisses Yixing's forehead. The younger's face shows a faint smile at the small act of affection.

"I guess there are two reasons," he answers, "Number one: I'm used to be working at night, so my sleeping schedule is just all over the place."

"That is a very likely reason. What's the second one?"

"I kept worrying about everything, which robbed me off my sleep."

"Now that's a thing I can help with!" Yifan says, "Richard came over, and we came to an agreement. He's going to help us."

"He will?"

"Yes. It's going to be fine. Set your mind at ease."

"That's good to know." Yixing leans forward for a kiss. "You've come home earlier than expected."

"We closed earlier than expected. That dead girl, or maybe her murderer, keeps customers at home."

Yifan grunts as he gets up to change into his nightwear. Yixing watches him, and asks:

"Don't you feel sorry for her? After all, she was your neighbour."

"I didn't really know her. It's horrible, yes, but I just can't make the emotional connection."

"I saw her picture in the newspaper," Yixing says and nods to the table where he's put the paper on. "She's on the front page."

Yifan sighs and takes a look at the photograph of Pamela Werner. It's nothing out of the ordinary - just her, in a sleek black dress, her hair finely combed and styled. A young British girl at the peak of her beauty. Girls like these can get swallowed easily by a city like Peking.

"I'm positive she's been buying chestnuts from me, very regularly, actually. She would always buy one portion for herself, and one for her father that she always mentioned. Threw me off at first but I came to like her and I memorised her order. She even had fixed days when she’d come to buy them. But then she stopped showing."

"She was sent to Tientsin," Yifan says and smacks the paper back onto the desk, "Her old man couldn't handle her rebellious antics anymore and hoped a boarding school would bring some sense back into her."

"Oh."

Yifan huddles under the blanket and heaves a sigh when Yixing crawls into his arms.

"I feel sad for her. She must've been scared."

"Are you scared?" Yifan asks.

He feels Yixing shaking his head against his chest.

"No. Not anymore.”

***

Yifan awakes around his usual time and finds Yixing next to him, reading the book he's picked up last night. The older one needs to chuckle as he sees the other's concentrated look on his face.

"You said you don't enjoy reading it, yet you're sitting here going through the chapters..." Yifan giggles, thus catching Yixing's attention.

"I decided to finish it, no matter how long it will take me," Yixing explains, "If I set my mind on a thing, I won't rest until I have it."

"Is that so?" 

Yifan chuckles and supports his head with one hand while looking up to Yixing. 

"Usually, yes. Otherwise I wouldn't have lived past my teenage years."

"Point taken."

Yixing closes the book and takes a long look at Yifan. Yifan feels slightly uncomfortable, and hopes he doesn't look too tired and crumbled up in this moment. 

"What else have you set your mind on before?" Yifan asks when Yixing's staring gets too intense.

The other shows a smug smile and puts the book to the side. Then he leans over to Yifan and says in a low voice:

"One of the things would be you."

"God!" Yifan exclaims at the banter and hides his face behind his hand.

Yixing laughs, the sound sounding so endearing to Yifan, he feels his stomach flutter. When he takes his hand off his face again, Yixing scoots closer and grabs the collar of Yifan's night wear to pull his face towards his own.

"You asked," he says, then closes the last remaining bit of distance between their lips.

Yifan decides to not protest. He asked. And he got an answer. And that answer works in his favour.

The younger sighs into their kiss before slipping his warm hands under the fabric of Yifan's shirt. The touch sends shivers down Yifan's spine, and he bends his body into the direction where Yixing's hands are going. He himself pulls Yixing close by the hips, while Yixing keeps kissing him softly, until he rolls over to seat himself on Yifan's lap. His movements are swift and skilled, resulting from all the times he's been doing this before, and it irks Yifan a little.

"Yixing," he says, sitting up himself, but still kissing the other who presses his body against him.

"Yes?"

"Are you sure you want this?"

It's not like he's expecting Yixing to sleep with him. His body is not the rent he pays to be staying with him. All he wants is to keep him safe, and he doesn't want the other to feel like he needs to pay that back in any kind of way. Yixing seems to get it, and shows a wide smile that reaches up to his eyes. Then he kisses Yifan's nose, only to proceed to take off his own shirt. Yifan chokes on the sight of Yixing's lean figure and smooth skin. Right when he thought Yixing couldn't be any more breathtaking. It's no wonder that people are yearning for him.

"I am." Yixing says simply, then he takes Yifan's hands and places them on his chest. "I want you to love me."

Yifan is sold with these words and he gives in. His hands wander over Yixing's body to explore its features, every bump and arch, while his lips place kisses on the other's shoulder and collar bones. Yixing buries his hand in Yifan's hair and lets out an approving sound, before he tugs at Yifan's shirt. They get rid of it and it meets the same fate as Yixing's before - carelessly tossed onto the floor. Then, Yixing pushes Yifan back into the sheets and looks down on him, studying his upper body with his eyes and fingertips. Before Yifan can leave a comment, he dives down and kisses the revealed skin, teasing him with his teeth and tongue on occasions. Yifan's skin burns up at the touch of Yixing's lips, just like back in the day when Yixing sucked him off on his first day - the feeling is still the same.

Yixing sits back up again once he's kissed himself all the way down to Yifan's v-line, which finds disapproval from the other. He would've loved for that to continue, for Yixing's lips to shower his skin, but then the younger starts to roll his hips and Yifan swallows the protest still sitting in the back of his throat. He mewls when he thinks of how that would feel like if there wasn't any clothes between them, and starts picking at the waistband of the pair of pants Yixing's wearing.

"Someone's impatient," Yixing comments with a smile, and lifts his hips only to roll back down onto Yifan's crotch.

"It wasn't me making the initial move here," Yifan tries to defend himself after gasping at the stimulation.

"That's right," Yixing admits and sits up on his knees.

Yifan watches as he slowly puts his fingertips under his pants. He caresses his skin for a few moments, and only then he slowly pulls them down. When he's removed them completely, Yifan swallows thickly and uses his hands to explore his thighs - he doesn't dare to advance to his butt somehow, but when his thumbs start circulating over the more sensitive skin on the inner thighs, Yixing groans in pleasure and bites his bottom lip. He's just as affected by their doing as Yifan, the semi hard cock in his lap being witness to it.

Yixing enjoys the attention he's given from Yifan, until he decides to move things along and buries his hand in Yifan's pants. He wraps his hand around the other's dick and gently rubs along its length, which makes Yifan shiver. His hands come to a halt on Yixing's hips and he buries them into the other's soft skin.

"I've been waiting for that," Yifan slips and elicits a chuckle out of Yixing.

"You could've just told me. I would've gladly sucked you off another time," Yixing says with a wink and pulls his pants down to Yifan's knees, not really bothering to take it off completely.

"As if I'm going to ask one of my... hooooly..."

Yixing's briefly dived down to seal his lips around Yifan's half erected dick without any warning. It's different from last time - inexperienced as Yixing was, he took his time to get used to the feeling of having another man's cock in his mouth. Now, he's just going up and down, skilfully using his tongue and teeth to bring the other into full erection as if it’s nothing. He's gotten bolder, and is quickly able to take all of Yifan in, until his nose is buried in Yifan's lap, deep throating him so Yifan lets out a long moan.

"Shit," Yifan curses as Yixing releases him.

His dick is leaking precum already, but Yixing won't pay his erection any more attention. Instead, he takes one of Yifan's hands, and starts kissing his fingertips. Yifan watches closely, and inhales sharply when Yixing proceeds to take his index finger into his mouth, sucking on it, before he adds another one. The movement is lewd, yet so attracting, Yifan's dick starts throbbing and twitching at the sight alone. When the younger's coated three of Yifan's fingers with an respectable amount of saliva, he guides Yifan's hand to his butt.

"Please," he breathes with flushed cheeks and a look full of desire and need in his eyes.

It's probably from all the encounters with other men, but Yixing takes the preparation easily. Yifan's first finger slips in swiftly, and Yixing is able to relax his muscles when he's getting penetrated by three fingers of Yifan's, going with the rhythm they're setting until he enjoys it fully and lets out a row of moans. Yifan's sat up again to have easier access and leaves a few love bites on Yixing's neck in the process.

"I can't even begin to imagine how good it must feel to have your dick inside of me," Yixing breathes when he's sunk down on Yifan's fingers again.

The comment makes Yifan's stomach tighten in excitement, because yes, that must feel amazing. To fill him up completely, his tight walls clenching around Yifan’s own hard-on. 

"Do you want to know?" Yifan says in a low voice and bites into Yixing's shoulder.

Yixing whimpers at the stimulation and scoots even closer. His own erection is rubbing against Yifan's as he proceeds to rock his hips up and down which drives both of them mad.

"Yes, please, please, I want to!"

Yifan pulls out his fingers and spits into his hand to coat his dick a little more. Yixing lifts his hips and positions himself before he slowly sinks down on the pulsing erection in Yifan's lap. Yixing gasps and winces at the stretch, but he keeps going, digging his nails into Yifan's back. When he's seated on him, he exclaims:

“My god. So big. Huh... uh...!"

He doesn't give himself more time to adjust, and Yifan figures that Yixing knows best which pace is manageable for him, so he sits still when Yixing starts with hesitant thrusts. Only when Yixing proceeds to bolder moves, Yifan starts to jerks his hips too. One hand keeps holding on to the other, while the other one is supporting his upper body from falling back into the sheets.

Yixing is tight. Hot. Wet. Feeling him so close must be the most blissful experience in Yifan's life and one moan after another falls from his lips as the two find their shared rhythm. There's a slick sound every time Yixing lifts his hips and smacks down on Yifan's dick, almost louder than their own moans that fill the room.

"Close!" Yixing grunts and Yifan nods to tell him he's just about to cum too.

Yixing's thrusts get more violent in bad need for more friction, and Yifan almost starts to jerk his hips up frantically, just so both of them can finally get off, as the heat between them gets almost unbearable.

Yifan comes first with a long groan, which doesn't stop Yixing from going - if anything, the feeling of Yifan filling him up with his cum animates him to go harder, until he himself rolls his eyes upwards as he reaches his climax. His cum spurts out of his dick between them and he opens his mouth in a silent moan. After the first wave, he rolls his hips a few more times to come down, then he crashes into Yifan's chest.

Yifan sinks back into the sheets, and Yixing follows him with his arms thrown around him. In that process, Yifan finally wiggles off the pants that still rest around his shins. Yixing stays put and won’t release the other’s cock, as if enjoying the feeling of being so close to Yifan a little longer. Yifan's hands start to caress the other's back. None of them says anything, as none of them think any words should be spoken. They keep listening to their breathing and heartbeats slowly getting back to a normal pace instead. They lay like that for quite some time, even though Yifan is not sure how long actually. It could be five minutes, it could be ten to twenty - he's lost complete track of time. All that matters is Yixing in his arms.

"Don't you want me to pull out at some point though?" Yifan finally asks, which receives a giggle for an answer. 

Yixing looks up to him through his damp curly hair that's sticking to his forehead, then he rolls to the side, taking Yifan with him. When he's pulled the older onto him, keeping him close by throwing his legs around his hips, he says:

"No."

One hand pulls Yifan closer by the neck and Yixing demands another kiss from him - when they part again, Yixing adds:

"I kind of want to feel you getting hard inside of me again."

"You... are really...!" 

Yixing is so deceiving. With his cute smile, the dimple, the curly hair, the overall boyish looks. And yet...

"Please, Yifan, fill me up... just one more time, hm?"

How could Yifan deny him that wish? He grunts as a response, but then kisses Yixing hard and aggressive to regain a little of the control he's allowed Yixing to have. Yixing's hand wanders down Yifan's sides and come to a halt on his butt - he squeezes the soft flesh, then says:

"Do me."

The younger bites his bottom lip, then forms a 'I beg of you', which is enough to get Yifan all hot and bothered again. He whimpers, then slowly starts rocking his hips again. Yixing clenches his hole around him, throwing his head back into the pillow. It may be an act - it may not be _that_ good, as Yifan is struggling a little with his limb dick that won’t cooperate just yet, but Yixing makes sure it at least looks like that. This helps for Yifan's dick throb and grow hard inside of him again. Yixing spreads his legs to give Yifan better access, then they move on to him placing one leg on the other's shoulder.

While Yifan keeps pounding into Yixing, Yixing starts pumping his own dick back into erection, while the other hand is buried in his own hair. He's got his eyes closed, mouth hanging agape, occasionally letting out sounds of praise for Yifan, who, on the other hand, doesn't even dare to blink because he can't bear to miss one second of this. When he's adjusted his angle a little and gets Yixing's prostate, the other releases a high pitched gasp and his legs start trembling. His hand stops its movement around his cock and his eyes fling open.

"Again. There!"

Yifan tries to get that same spot again, so he can coax that sweet sound of pleasure out of Yixing one more time. That sound is definitely going to become one of his favourites. One that he wants to hear over and over again, because it's _him_ being the reason for it. 

"... fan... yes... uuh!"

Harder. Faster. Yifan is sure there's nothing graceful anymore about his movements, but he doesn't care because all he thinks of is giving it to Yixing so good that he'll never want anyone else's cock inside of him. Yixing keeps screaming and lets go of his dick while Yifan keeps ravishing him, rutting into him again and again, until both of them cum with each other's names on their lips. Only now it occurs to Yifan that Ling Chao might have heard _everything_ that's been going on. He doesn't care too much though as he rolls his hips a few more times and then pulls out of Yixing, watching as his cum drips out of the younger down onto his sheets. Fuck. God damn. This sight alone makes him jerk through a last orgasmic shock, as if his body has waited for something like that to finish him off completely.

Yixing is lying on his side and still tries to catch his breath. The rays of sunlight paint random patterns on his skin, and it makes Yixing's heart stop for a second. He lays down next to him and pulls him close again. Yixing snuggles into him, not minding that both of them are sweaty and sticky and sighs.

"Was good that I set my mind on you," Yixing finally passes his judgement in a cocky voice.

"Yeah. I agree."

Yixing giggles as a response.


End file.
